Bryggen

Bryggen is the old Hanseatic quarter of Bergen, a row of tall, narrow wooden trading houses leaning companionably along the harbour, their pointed gables painted ochre, red and cream. Once the heart of the German merchants' cod trade, rebuilt many times after fires, it is a UNESCO site and the enduring image of the city.

Background

Bryggen, the dock, is also known as Tyskebryggen, the German dock, and its trading houses line the eastern side of the Vågen harbour. Bergen itself was founded around 1070 within the bounds of Tyskebryggen. Around 1350 the Hanseatic League set up a Kontor here, and the wharf became the centre of Hanseatic trade in Norway. The buildings standing today went up after 1702, the protected area covers 1.196 hectares, and the site has been on the World Heritage list since 1979. Today it houses museums, shops, restaurants and pubs.

Source: Wikipedia, "Bryggen"

What you'll find

• The wooden facades - the leaning, colourful gabled trading houses along the wharf.
• The alleys behind - the creaking wooden passages and courtyards between the houses.
• The Hanseatic museum - the merchant life of the old cod trade.
• The harbour setting - the wharf, the fish market and the mountains behind.

When to go

Summer for terraces, light and the busy harbour; the quarter is atmospheric year-round, glowing under lamps in the winter dark. Early morning gives the alleys to yourself.

Practical notes

The famous facades are much reconstructed after repeated fires, so it is heritage carefully kept rather than untouched. It is small and quickly walked, and the harbour front is on the tourist trail. The atmospheric heart is in the wooden alleys behind, so step off the front.

Nearby

The Bergen fish market is next door; the Floibanen funicular up Mount Floyen starts nearby.

Key facts